These boots were made for walking … but how many miles should they last for?
Photograph: Alamy

I bought a pair of Asolo walking boots in December 2015 from Ellis Brigham in Covent Garden. I wore them three to four times a year for about 250 miles. In August 2017 the sole on one of the boots came unstuck. The store sent them back to Asolo which stuck them down as a repair job. But in May this year, the soles on both boots came unstuck. To my mind they are not fit for purpose, but Ellis Brigham is refusing a refund as they are two and a half years old and out of guarantee. They also state “wear and tear” … my last pair lasted for more than 20 years.

GM, London

The Consumer Rights Act is your friend, and it comes down to what a reasonable person would expect. Most walkers would think a £95 pair of boots would last longer. I’d have expected at least four years out of them with your kind of use – suggesting it would be reasonable to ask for 50% of the price back.

Mark Ellis, who runs the store, started by arguing that the boots showed a lack of care and, on that basis, offered a 20% discount on a new pair. After I suggested that was not good enough, he did a bit of further digging and tells me: “Having received new information from the company, we are prepared to offer a full refund.” Remember, your rights are always against the retailer, not the manufacturer, though stores often try to push you towards the manufacturer.

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